The Strangeness of Family
by Rosepixie
Summary: Elisa and Goliath and Angela and Broadway decide to take their relationships to the next levels, and someone shows up to turn Owen and Brooklyn's worlds upside down.
1. Evening Falls

Owen stood on the top of the main tower of the castle watching the sun set. He loved the fiery colours that spread across the sky. It reminded him of a nymph that he had chased all over Italy once. As the sun finally dipped below the horizon the fierce gargoyle in front of him started to crack. The enormous creature stood up, shaking bits of stone off of its limbs and wings and roaring loudly. Sensing someone standing behind him, the huge creature turned around, caping his wings.

"Good evening, Goliath," Owen said cordially.

"Good evening, Owen," Goliath responded in his deep, velvet voice.

"I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Xanatos and Fox have flown up to Vermont for a few days. Alex is still here with me. Actually, he is napping right now."

"Thank you, Owen. Do you need a break from Alex? I'm sure that Lexington would be happy to watch him for a while."

Before Owen could respond, his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello…. Yes, thank you." He closed the phone again and slipped it back into his pocket. "Detective Maza is on her way up."

Goliath brightened up.

"Shall we go meet her then?"

"Of course."

Goliath hurried inside and made his way to the elevator doors. He got there just as the doors slid open and Elisa stepped out. She looked visibly shaken and rushed into Goliath's arms. He held her close to him and wrapped his wings around her. Behind him he heard Owen's phone ring again. Owen ducked into a side room to answer it so that Elisa and Goliath could have a moment alone.

"What's wrong, beloved?" Goliath asked softly. Elisa didn't answer right away, but tilted her head up for a kiss. Goliath leaned down to her and they began kissing in earnest. After a few moments they heard Owen clear his throat behind them. They looked back at him together.

"I have just been informed that Detective Bluestone is on his way up."

"Oh! Goliath!" Elisa exclaimed. "Matt and I were attacked by Quarrymen in my apartment!"

"What was Matt doing in your apartment?"

"He was helping me bring up a new table."

"How did they find your new apartment? We were always extremely careful when we glided over to visit you."

"I know, but they found me anyway!"

The elevator door opened and Matt Bluestone stepped out. He looked as dishevelled as Elisa and he was bleeding in several places. Owen stepped forward.

"Why don't we go sit down. I'll patch up your wounds and then you can tell us what happened."

Goliath touched the tiny communicator he always carried.

"Anyone who is still in the castle, Elisa and Matt are here. We're going to talk in the clan's common room. Join us if you wish."

As they started walking, it became painfully obvious that Elisa was limping and in pain. Without a word, Goliath scooped her up and carried her. Normally Elisa would have protested being treated like a 'fragile doll,' but now she just nestled into his arms and let him carry her. He set her gently on the couch in the Gargoyles' common room. Owen retrieved the first aid kit from a drawer as Matt relaxed into an overstuffed chair.

"Let me look at you first, Elisa," Owen said, kneeling in front of her.

"I twisted my ankle," she replied. Owen checked it out carefully and wrapped it in a bandage. He decided that it should be looked at by a doctor, and even called one for her. Matt had several cuts and bruises, but nothing more serious.

"Elisa," Owen inquired, "am I incorrect in remembering that tonight is your night off?"

"It is my night off," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I think that the wisest course of action would be for you to stay here tonight. Matt, do you have to work?"

"Yes, I do."

"Perhaps you should call in sick and stay here tonight as well," Goliath said. Matt ran his fingers through his red hair as he thought about it.

"That's not a bad idea," Matt agreed. "Owen, is there a phone that I can use?"

"Of course, sir," Owen replied. "Follow me." They left the room, leaving Elisa and Goliath alone sitting on the sofa. She leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Goliath, what am I going to do now?" Elisa asked. "This is my fourth apartment in the past two years. If there had never been any Quarrymen, I'd still be in the apartment I had when I first met you."

"I'm sorry, Elisa. I never meant to cause you so much trouble. Perhaps it would have been better if you had never met us."

"And what would you have done if I hadn't? Stayed here and worked for Xanatos?"

"I don't honestly know. I can't imagine my life without you."

"You had a whole life before you met me that had nothing to do with me or New York."

"But never was I as happy as I have been here with you."

Elisa turned to look at him.

"Do you really mean that, Goliath?"

"Yes, my love, I really mean it. You have made me happier than I ever imagined being."

"You have made me happy too, Goliath! You are my best friend and the only one that I could ever imagine being in love with from now until forever."

Goliath didn't answer her, but pulled her close and kissed her. She slid her arms around his neck and twisted her fingers into his hair as their kiss deepened. Suddenly Goliath's communicator began to squawk.

"Goliath," said Lexington's voice from the tiny communicator, "I hate to bother you, but Broadway isn't responding to his communicator."

"Try Angela." A few moments later Lex's voice returned.

"No answer from her either."

"Then give up. They were not on patrol yet and are probably still in the castle somewhere."

"Are you sure?"

"Lexington, if they don't show up for patrol change, then let me know. For now, stop worrying."

"Alright, Goliath, I will."

Goliath sighed and shook his head. Elisa smiled at him wryly.

"They had better make an announcement soon," Goliath grumbled. "This is getting ridiculous."

"They'll make it when they're ready, big guy. So, you don't have to patrol tonight, right?"

"Right. Do you think you can keep me occupied?"

"Hmm… I'm sure that I can think of a few things."

"Care to share?"

"I'd love to."

"Then right after the doctor checks out your ankle, you'll have to show me!"

"It's a date!"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Goliath called. The door opened and Owen stepped into the room, closely followed by a middle-aged man carrying a black bag.

"Dr. Cassedy has arrived," Owen stated simply.

"Good evening Elisa," the doctor said warmly. He shook Goliath's hand with a smile. "How is everything, Goliath?"

"Fairly well, doctor," Goliath answered kindly.

"Good!" he exclaimed, genuinely pleased. "Now, Elisa, Owen tells me that you twisted your ankle. Let's have a look."

He kneeled on the ground in front of her and propped her foot on his knee as he removed the wrapping. He began to gently move his fingers along her ankle. She cringed when he touched certain places. He then began to gently move her foot, and she drew in a quick breath. She squeezed her eyes closed and a tear began to roll down her cheek. She dug her fingernails into the hand Goliath had given her to hold.

"Elisa," he said gently, "we are going to have to go to the hospital. You may have a break and I need to run an x-ray."

Elisa nodded.

"You can take one of the limousines," Owen said as he opened his phone. "It will get there faster than your car, doctor." The doctor nodded and Owen called down to have it brought around.

"Goliath," Dr. Cassedy said, "let me wrap something around your hand and you can carry her downstairs."

Elisa looked at Goliath's hand and saw that her fingernails had drawn blood. The doctor cleaned and bandaged his hand quickly. Since Goliath couldn't go into the hospital with her, it was decided that Matt would go along with a communicator and would let him know what was going on. Goliath decided to glide over and wait on the hospital roof.

Goliath carried Elisa down to the car and carefully set her inside. The hospital was nearby, so the drive was short. Matt carried Elisa inside and they all sat down to wait.


	2. The Visiter

Two hours later Goliath glided back towards the Aerie building above the black limousine that Elisa and Matt were riding in. He felt horribly guilty. Elisa had a hairline fracture in one of the bones of her leg. She had been attacked because she was his friend, and he had been in stone sleep unaware of the attack and unable to protect her. He hated thinking that she could be hurt or worse during the day and there would be nothing he could do about it. She assured him that she could protect herself, but he still worried about her and felt guilty whenever she even came close to being hurt without him there to protect her. As he thought about the Quarrymen, his eyes flashed with furious fire. He vowed to make them pay for hurting her! As he unclenched his fists and his eyes returned to normal, Goliath looked up towards the castle. They were almost there. He swooped up towards the sky and dipped down to land on the other side of the castle wall, in the courtyard. It would be a few minutes before Matt and Elisa got up to the castle, especially with her on crutches, so he spent a moment breathing the fresh air before heading inside.

As Goliath turned to enter the castle, a bright light appeared behind him. Fearing that it was the light from a Quarrymen helicopter, he whirled around and dropped into a fighting stance. To his surprise, however, it was not the light from a helicopter. In fact, it wasn't the light from anything. It was a pure white light floating a few feet above the ground. As he looked at it, the light grew bigger and brighter until he had to look away and shield his eyes. When the light finally dimmed and winked out Goliath looked back at the place where it had been. In the spot where the light had appeared stood a young-looking woman who was very obviously a child of Oberon and actually resembled Puck in his natural form quite a bit. She had the same large, pointed ears and a very feminine version of his tall, thin body. Her white hair fell to her knees. She wore a long red skirt with a yellow waistline that came down to a V shape in front. It had a slit all the way up the front of one leg and it trailed a couple of inches on the ground. Her top came down to form half circles that cradled her breasts and swooped up to a point above them. It was red, but the upper edge and the straps were yellow. Soft, sheer blue fabric fell from her shoulders to brush the ground. She was watching Goliath stare at her with an amused look on her face.

"Hello," she said sweetly. "You must be Goliath."

"Yes, I am," he answered. Before he could ask who she was, she spoke again.

"You could only be Elisa."

Goliath whirled around to find Elisa, now on crutches, and Matt standing in the doorway gaping at the strange woman.

"Yes," Elisa said unsurely. "And who are you?"

"Oh! How rude of me!" the woman exclaimed. "My name is Espa." She curtseyed as she introduced herself.

"How do you know who we all are?" Goliath asked curiously.

"I've heard a lot about you. I don't know who that is, though." She pointed to Matt.

"My name is Matt Bluestone," he said, extending a hand to her. She smiled at him and shook his hand.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Matt Bluestone."

"Where did you hear about us?" Elisa asked.

"On Avalon of course!" she answered. "The gargoyles and humans talked about you and so did Oberon and Titania."

"I see," said Goliath, who had gone to stand by Elisa. "Did Oberon send you here?" he asked warily.

"No, of course not! I came to see…" she trailed off as she looked at the doorway behind them. A look of amusement had come across her face. They turned to find Owen standing in the doorway looking at her in a surprised way. "You must be Owen!"

"Stop that!" Owen said laughing. "You know very well who I am! You would know me even if you had never heard about this form, just as I would know you anywhere!" Espa laughed too.

"Of course I would!" She went up and hugged Owen, who warmly hugged her back. "I have a surprise for you."

"Tell me that this is nothing like your last surprise for me. If it is, I don't want it."

"You know that wasn't my fault! I didn't invite the trolls; they just sort of showed up. In fact, if I remember right, it was your girl-of-the-week, that ditzy nymph with the annoying laugh, who told them about the party."

"Is that what happened? I had forgotten."

"Yeah right! Your memory is just fine."

"Alright, you're right, I remember. So what's this surprise?"

"You'll see later."

"You love doing this to me, don't you?"

"What are sisters for?"

"You two are brother and sister?" Elisa asked.

"Yes, we are," Owen replied. "Actually, we're twins."

"Twins! How interesting. I didn't know that you had a twin, Owen."

"Don't feel left out," he replied. "I haven't even told Mr. Xanatos about Espa."

"Why brother dear! Are you ashamed of me?" Espa asked with a mock-offended tone of voice.

"Well… that's not the reason I kept you a secret. Owen doesn't have any sisters, or parents for that matter, and since I'm Owen almost all of the time to everyone here, I haven't talked about you."

"I suppose I'll buy that. So what do I have to do to get to meet this child you've been tending?"

"He's sleeping now, but you should be able to meet him later."

"Alright. I suppose that I can wait a little longer."

Through most of this conversation Goliath, Elisa and Matt had stood by listening in astonishment and amusement. The sudden appearance of this woman had surprised them all, and the knowledge that she was not only Puck's sister, but also his twin, was slowly sinking in. Elisa couldn't help but wonder if she should be worried about having another Puck around or not.

They followed Owen and Espa into the castle. As they walked through the corridor, they ran into Angela. She was introduced to Espa, who had heard all about her on Avalon. Then Angela walked up to Elisa.

"Elisa, may I talk to you for a while? Please?" Angela was almost begging.

"Of course," Elisa replied. "Is there anyplace you want to go for this talk?"

"Anywhere where we won't be overheard or interrupted."

"Sure. Hey Owen, did you put me in my usual room?"

"Yes, Detective Maza."

"Thank you! Will that do, Angela?"

"Yes, it's perfect."

"Goliath, I'll let you know when we are finished."

"Good."

"I love you," she said softly as he was leaning down to kiss her.

"I love you too, beloved," he whispered as he broke the kiss.

Elisa and Angela left the group and made their way to the room that Elisa would be staying in.

"So, what do you want to talk about, Angela?" Elisa asked curiously.

"Things that I want to talk to a woman about," Angela answered. Elisa felt somewhat sorry for Angela. She was the only female gargoyle in the clan. Elisa knew that it had to be difficult and lonely sometimes. When they reached the door, Angela opened it for Elisa. Cagney, her cat, was waiting inside. Elisa also noticed a small suitcase on the bed.

"Owen suggested that someone stop by your apartment to get you some of your things. He made sure that there were no Quarrymen there and then sent Broadway and me over. I hope that I got everything that you wanted for tonight."

"Thank you! I'm sure that you did fine. I really appreciate it. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well," Angella started with a blush, "I guess that I wanted to talk to you because you are the closest thing to a female gargoyle that there is here and the closest, most trusted female friend that I have."

"I'm flattered."

"Well, you know that I've chosen Broadway now."

"I think that everyone knows that by now."

"Right, well, we have been doing a lot of fondling and stuff, but we haven't actually mated yet. I mean, I'm sure that we will soon at this rate, but we haven't yet. And I wanted to ask you about it."

"About sex?"

"Is that what humans call the act of mating?"

"Yes, it is. So, what specifically did you want to ask about?"

"Everything, I guess. I mean, I know how it works and everything, but how do you know when you're ready? How does it feel? Does it hurt?"

"I can't really explain how you know when you are ready, you just sort of feel it."

"What if he's ready and I'm not?"

"Then you tell him to wait. If he really does love you, then he will give you all the time you need."

"How does it feel?"

"Well, this is where my experience as a human might differ a little bit from yours as a gargoyle, but I'll describe it as best I can. It feels different with each two people. It should feel good. It's kind of like two puzzle pieces fitting together when you are with the right person. It just feels right. It might hurt the first time, and maybe every once in a while after that, but it shouldn't hurt most of the time. Most of the time it should feel great. Does that help?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I guess that I'm just nervous."

"For humans, anyway, being nervous is normal. I would bet that it's normal for gargoyles too."

"I guess so. What if I'm not good at it?"

"That's not possible."

"What if he doesn't like it anyway?"

"He's male, right? He'll like it."

"Are males really that easily pleased?"

"Most of them are in matters of sex. He will love it, but will probably be worried about whether you enjoyed it or not."

"Does Goliath do that?"

"All the time. He's so afraid that he's going to hurt me that sometimes I wonder how he enjoys himself at all!"

Angela laughed for the first time since they had started talking. It relieved Elisa a lot to hear her, since Angela had been wound tight as a spring during the entire conversation.

"He worries all the time! You're saying he even worries during lovemaking?"

"Yeah. I call it his 'porcelain doll syndrome' because he is as careful with me as you would be with a porcelain doll. Usually he's not that bad about it, but sometimes he is." Elisa looked at her leg, which was now encased in a plaster cast almost up to her knee. "He'll be particularly bad now that I'm injured."

"I suppose that he will. He gets so mad when you get hurt, or even just almost get hurt."

"I know. He blames himself too much."

"He loves you so much, Elisa. He just hates that he can't be there to protect you during the day."

"I know he does, but I don't know what to do about it. I mean, I worry about him during the day too. I wish that he wouldn't worry about me so much. I'm a police officer, I certainly know how to take care of myself."

"He knows, he just doesn't want to lose anyone like he lost everyone before. I think that he partially blames himself for most of the clan being murdered and for Demona becoming crazy."

"I know that he blames himself for the clan, but how is Demona being a psycho his fault?"

"I think that he thinks that if he hadn't left her alone for so long, she wouldn't have decided that humans should all die."

"I'll never understand his sense of guilt."

"Me neither."

"So, why don't you tell me about you and Broadway?"

"Alright."


	3. Thoughts

Goliath struck a pose as the sun rose over the horizon. Elisa looked at the dawn sky. She had seen it so often, but it never failed to amaze her. The sky was streaked with Red, like a smear of fresh blood. It was the blood of life; the blood that pumped its way through the veins of every living being. It was the blood that rose and fell with emotions. It was the blood that made cheeks blush and skin warm. It was the blood of life, spread across the sky every morning to remind people of how precious life is. Elisa had often become discouraged in her life. Her father said that it was the fate of a cop to question life frequently, but she knew that it was more than that. She had a fundamental respect for life. She was never able to understand how some people could hold it so cheaply. Murder never made sense to her, although she saw it nearly every night. She also saw how people reacted to the gargoyles and mutates. Too many people held no respect for the lives of non-human beings and wanted to kill them rather than get to know them. She worried about the gargoyles during the day when they were unable to defend themselves, but she knew that they were as safe as they would ever be on the castle walls. She wished that she could convince people that all life, whether human or gargoyle, had value and should be respected. She sighed and turned to go back inside. She was startled to find Espa standing behind her.

"Elisa," she asked, "may I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Elisa answered. She wondered what the magical woman could have to ask her.

"I was wondering if you would tell me about this gargoyle clan. From what I can tell, it is rather unusual."

"You may find that it is not as unusual as you think."

"This is not a city where I would have expected to find gargoyles."

"They didn't expect to end up here, but they did, and I'm quite glad of it too."

"I can tell. You certainly seem fond of Goliath, and he of you."

"I love him. More than I could ever tell him."

"That's so interesting. It's very rare that I see gargoyle-human relationships. Actually, it's been over three centuries since I've seen one. How long have you been together?"

"That's a hard question to answer. We avoided it for quite a while. We didn't think that it would work."

"And what changed that?"

"I don't know. I guess that we just decided that it would work out after all. There was no reason that it shouldn't. I mean, even if we are different species, we knew we could make it work."

"I'm impressed. From what I have seen, humans and gargoyles both tend to seek in a mate someone who is like them. I never quite understood that. It seems to me that the best relationships are the ones where things never get boring."

"Well, the relationship that I have with Goliath would certainly fit that description!"

"From what my brother tells me, that is an understatement."

"It probably is, but there is very little that I would change about it."

"What would you change?"

"I would change the fact that there are crazy people with dangerous weapons trying to kill us. I would change that the city keeps calling for blood every time the gargoyles are mentioned or spotted. I would change that their clan is probably going to die out in a generation or so, since they only have one female with which to breed and she can only bear one egg every decade. I would change that I can't give him a child. He loves Angela so much, and he wants the clan to continue so much, which it can't do without more eggs. I doubt that any more female gargoyles are going to show up here, and I just feel bad for the clan. Maybe there is also an element of my own desires in there too. Maybe I want children too. I never really thought about it before, but I have really been wishing that it was possible lately."

Espa didn't say anything; she just looked at Elisa with a sort of half smile on her face.

"I guess that it could never happen though, so I should stop thinking about it."

"Never give up on something like that."

"What?"

"Tell me about this David Xanatos."

By this time, they had reached Elisa's room. She sat on the bed and put her leg up, while Espa wandered around the room looking at things curiously.

"What do you want to know about him?"

"Anything you want to tell me. Why does my brother feel such a loyalty to him? What sort of a man is he?"

"Xanatos is sort of hard to figure. He used to be the worst enemy that the gargoyles and I had, but somewhere along the line he changed. After Goliath and the clan helped to save his son from Oberon, they made peace with each other. Their trust is still strained at times, but it is growing. After the gargoyles' home was destroyed, Xanatos invited them to return to the castle to live, and they accepted. I still don't entirely trust him at times, but I think that his son has taught him right and wrong and he has ended up as a fairly good man. I think that he still has a little ways to go, but he is well on his way. He is a brilliant man. I really admire him for that. He is also trying to make up for all the horrible things that he has done in the past. It will take a lot to completely even the score, but he is determined to right his wrongs. Owen is unwaveringly loyal to him. I'm told that he began working for Xanatos as Owen and decided that he liked him, so he revealed himself as Puck and gave Xanatos a choice: one wish from Puck or a lifetime of service from Owen. He chose Owen. This greatly impressed Puck, and so he has been Xanatos' most loyal aid ever since. He dared to stand up to Oberon for Xanatos."

"How interesting. I can't wait to meet this man that has my brother so impressed and happy. Other than a longing for his lost power, my brother is happier now than I have ever seen him (and believe me, I've seen him deliriously happy before)."

"Well, Fox and Xanatos should be home in a couple of days, from what Owen says."

"Good. That gives me a few days to get to know you and the gargoyles, and Alex of course. He is adorable!"

"Yes, he is."

"I think that I will leave you now so that you can sleep and I can go see Owen and Alex. But first, I should take on a more appropriate form."

Espa thought for a moment and then began to spin very fast. When she stopped, she looked like a human. She was thin and had long red hair that was pulled back from her face. She wore a white blouse and a calf-length pale blue skirt that flared out attractively. She smiled at Elisa.

"My name in this form is Tara. Do you like it?" Tara asked. Her voice had a slight British accent.

"It's very nice."

"Thank you. I used it in London a while back. I thought that it would work nicely here. Do you think so?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't."

"Good! Thank you. I'll see you later, Elisa. Thank you for answering my questions. You've given me a lot to think about."

"You're welcome."

Tara quietly left the room. She shut the door behind her. As she walked she thought about what Elisa had told her. She had been telling the truth when she said that Elisa had given her a lot to think about. Before her conversation with Elisa she had been only slightly interested in the gargoyles. She had really wanted to know about the man Owen worked for. Now she let her thoughts dwell on the gargoyles. It was sad. They had seen their clan destroyed, and then had woken up in a strange new world. She wanted to help them, but she wasn't entirely sure how to do it. She found that her footsteps had brought her back to the nursery. She quietly slipped into the room. Owen was standing at one of the windows holding Alex and looking out over New York. She quietly listened to him talking.

"See, Alex? Everything is shrouded in the mist. It makes even as dirty and violent a city as New York look like a magical dream world. Never forget that magic. Even when things get bad and it seems like there is no good left in the world, remember the mist and the magic. There is magic all around you; it's just a matter of seeing it. Things will get bad. Everyone has dark and lonely times, but always remember the beauty inherent in everything. Even the most evil, horrible thing has beauty and magic in it. Look at Demona. She is vindictive, murderous, and spiteful, but she is also lonely and hurt. She has never come to grips with the loss of her clan, her family. She is a beautiful, lonely girl hiding behind a hatred for all mankind that defies all logic. She should be pitied and admired. She has survived this long without completely falling apart and she has never let the memory of her clan fade or dim. There is good in everything. Never stop looking for the light, even in the darkest moments. It is the light that strengthens you and gives you something to hold onto when you are falling. Never forget it and never stop looking for it. If you look hard enough, you will always be able to find it."

"Feeling sentimental, brother?" Tara asked quietly.

"A little bit, I suppose," he replied as he turned to her. Alex held out his arms to her and Owen handed him to her. She smiled as he settled down into her arms and fell asleep on her shoulder.

"He's so precious."

"Yes," Owen agreed with a rare smile, "he certainly is."

"I've been talking to Elisa. I like her."

"Yes, I admire her quite a bit."

"We talked about Xanatos."

"What did she say about Mr. Xanatos?"

"That he is a brilliant man who loves his child very much and is working to make up for past wrongs."

Owen stared at her for a moment.

"Elisa said that?"

"Yes, she did. She also said that you were incredibly loyal to him."

"That's true. I thought that Elisa didn't like Mr. Xanatos."

"It didn't particularly sound like she disliked him."

"How interesting."

"I also talked to her about the gargoyles. She talked about how they wish to continue the clan here in New York, but with only one female that will be difficult."

"Yes, it is a problem that has been bothering them, particularly Goliath."

"It's very sad."

"Yes."

"It's so funny to talk to you as Owen! You have no emotions at all!"

"I have emotions, I simply don't show them."

"It's an odd trait in you."

"I rather enjoy it."

"I know. I think that it's wonderful that you are happy here."

"What is the surprise that you had for me?"

"I'm not going to tell you that yet. It's not time."

"Are you ever going to tell me?"

"Yes. Later. Perhaps when Mr. Xanatos comes back."

"Very well. I have to go and do some work for Xanatos Enterprises now. Excuse me."

"I'm rather tired. Is there are spare bedroom that I could use while I'm here?"

"Of course."

They tucked Alex into his tiny bed and left the room. Owen showed Tara to a pretty room with a large bed in it.

"Sleep well, sister."

"Thank you, brother. I shall see you later."

"Of course."

Owen left her alone and Tara sat down to think.

As night approached, Elisa carefully climbed the stairs to where Goliath was on top of one of the towers. She found Owen and Alex already there. A chair had been brought up.

"Good evening, Elisa," Owen greeted her. "Please, sit down. I had this chair brought up for your comfort."

"Thank you, Owen," Elisa said as she settled into the chair and leaned her crutches against her leg.

"I spoke to Mr. Xanatos today and he said to inform you that his hospitality has been extended for as long as you desire to partake of it."

"Thank you."

The sun began to dip below the horizon and Alex clapped his hands. He loved watching the gargoyles awaken. Goliath's stone skin began to crack and he stretched and let out a mighty roar. Alex squealed and clapped his hands again as he bounced in Owen's arms. Goliath turned around and smiled at them. He walked to where Elisa sat and leaned down to give her a kiss, and then turned to Owen and Alex.

"Alex wanted to watch you awaken tonight," Owen said simply. Goliath smiled and held out his arms to take the little boy. Alex happily babbled at him.

"Good evening, Owen," Goliath said politely.

"Good evening, Goliath. I've spoken to Mr. Xanatos. If Elisa doesn't need you, could you come with me for a few minutes?"

"Of course. Elisa, do you mind?"

"No," she assured him, "of course not. I'll just go down and say hi to the guys and Angela."

"Thank you."

Goliath followed Owen down the stairs with Alex still in his arms. Elisa watched them go before getting up and going down to the courtyard. She found the other gargoyles all there, but they weren't arranging patrols, as they should have been. Lexington and Brooklyn were arguing about something. Angela was looking at them furiously and Broadway was nowhere to be found.

Hudson was kneeling next to Bronx watching the whole thing from a safe distance. Elisa sighed and steeled herself before going to ask what the problem was.

"What's going on here?"

Elisa instantly knew that had been the wrong thing to say when Brooklyn, Angela and Lexington all started talking at once, each trying to out shout the others.

"One at a time!" she yelled over the din. They stopped talking. "Brooklyn, why don't you go first?"

"Alright. We woke up and Broadway took off really fast, shouting that he had to pick something up in the Labyrinth. Angela asked me if I knew what he was doing, and I suggested that maybe he went to see Maggie and Lex got mad at me and started yelling!"

"That's not what happened!" Lex exclaimed. "You told Angela that maybe he was going off to see Maggie and when she asked why you said that he had always had "a thing" for her and maybe he dreamt about her and wanted to see her!"

"I did not!"

"Boys, would you just cool it?" Elisa asked, looking from one to the other. The two were staring daggers at each other. "Alright, Lex, why don't you go work on your computer. Brooklyn, forget about setting up patrols for the moment and go cool off somewhere away from Lex, just stay in the castle. I'll come find you both when I figure out what to do about this. Angela, why don't you tell me what you think happened."

The two gargoyles stalked off in opposite directions. Angela had her arms folded across her chest and was glaring after Brooklyn. Hudson, with Bronx at his heels, walked over to join them.

"Alright, lass," he said to Angela, "let's hear your version."

"Well, I wondered out loud where Broadway had gone, since he never goes off like that without at least saying goodbye to me, and Brooklyn muttered something about him having once liked Maggie. I always thought that it was Brooklyn who had liked Maggie. Anyway, I got sort of upset that he had said that, since he knows that Broadway and I are together now, and he got all defensive and said he was just offering a suggestion. Lex jumped in and started backing me up and pretty soon they were screaming at each other! I'm glad that Lex stood up for me, but I can do that for myself, and Brooklyn had no right to say anything like that in the first place!"

"There are times that I don't miss being young," Hudson said dryly. "Come on, Bronx, let's see what's on the television."

When they were alone, Elisa looked at Angela thoughtfully.

"I can understand why you are upset," she said after a moment, "and I would be too, but it's not helping matters any. Lexington was just trying to back you up; he knows that you can stand up for yourself. Brooklyn shouldn't have said that, and I'll talk to him about it, but you have to understand that it's hard for him to watch you and Broadway together when he doesn't have much chance of that kind of happiness. You are the only female gargoyle here, and there isn't much chance of another one suddenly showing up either."

"I know," Angela agreed, "but he still shouldn't say things like that. I know he's lonely, but I've made my choice and he isn't likely to change that!"

"Just try not to rub it in his face, alright?"

"Alright. I may as well go to the library for a while."

"Good idea."

Elisa watched her go before heading back to her room to grab her gun and badge before heading to work. She found Goliath waiting for her.

"I know you have to work," Goliath said as she walked through the door. "I was wondering if you might let me carry you there. Matt has your car there already."

"I know he does. I was hoping you would get me there. I just need my stuff and we can go."

Elisa decided that her shoulder holster wouldn't be a good idea while she was on crutches, so she slipped her gun into the waistband of her jeans. Then she pinned her badge inside her jacket, put the jacket on and turned back to Goliath. He came up to her and folded her into his arms. She let herself melt into him. It always amazed her how perfectly they fit together. It was almost as if they were made for one another.

"Elisa," Goliath asked after a moment, "do you like this room?"

"I suppose so," she answered. "It's not my ideal room, but it serves its purpose."

"If you could have any other room in the castle which one would it be?"

"Probably that large one with the big windows next to the library."

"That used to be Princess Katharine's room."

"We should go, or I'll be late."

"Yes, we should."

Goliath carefully picked up Elisa and went to the window. She held her crutches tightly as he glided over Manhattan. On the way she explained the problem that had arisen with Lex, Brooklyn and Angela. Goliath sighed and promised that he would deal with it as soon as he got back to the Aerie building. Finally he landed among the wreckage of the top floor of the clock tower and set her down. Elisa adjusted the crutches and carefully climbed down the stairs to the precinct below.

Matt was already there reading over the papers in a manila folder. He looked up as she walked in.

"How's the leg?" he asked.

"It's fine," she replied. "It's irritating more than anything else. Sometimes it hurts, but not too much anymore."

"That's good."

"So, what's on tap for today?"

"There was a rape/murder that Captain Chavez wants us to investigate."

"Great. I hate those."

"I know."

"Well, let's get going. I'll look at the file on the way."

"Great. And I actually get to drive for a change!"

Tara was playing with Alex on the floor of his nursery with a ball, when Owen came into the room. Tara looked up at him and smiled.

"Hello Owen," she said pleasantly.

"Hello," he replied. "It's time for Alex to take a nap."

"Alright!" Tara stood up and scooped Alex into her arms. "Come on, cutey."

She took him to his little bed and tucked him in. He smiled and hugged his stuffed panda bear. She followed Owen out of the room.

"You still aren't going to tell me, are you?" Owen asked.

"Nope," she replied primly. "I'll tell you at the right time. You're going to love it." Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Owen shook his head. She was the only one who could match him in mischievousness, and he wouldn't change it for the world. The two of them delighted in their pranks and even made a friendly competition of it at times. Puck had been intrigued when he had found out years ago that he had played a prominent part in a human play, and pleasantly surprised when he discovered that the playwright had gotten him spot on. The one thing he was annoyed about concerning that play was that his sister had not even been mentioned in it.

He knew that if she was so pleased with her newest surprise, it must be a good one. As she walked along next to him, he took a good look at her human form for the first time. He had seen many of her forms, but this was a new one. It was incredibly pretty, but then her human forms always were. Beguiling men had always been one of her favourite pastimes, and she always made sure to look the part. This girl had the slender figure that most of her forms did, but it was different too. She was more ladylike than most of Espa's forms. She was dressed elegantly; it was an outfit that would look more in place in an Audrey Hepburn movie than atop the Aerie building. Her long red hair (red had always been one of Espa's favourite hair colours) was pulled up into a bun rather than loose and flowing. She wore no jewellery at all, which was unusual since Espa loved shining, glittering jewels and her human forms almost always wore at least earrings. Overall he decided that he liked this form. It was beguilingly modest and delicate. She looked up at him with a smile suddenly.

"So what do you think?"

"I like it. You usually add a lot more flare to your designs. This one is so simple that it's stunning."

"Thanks. I have to say that seeing you as a straight man is amusing. It works remarkably well. I wasn't sure if it would or not, but you pull it off quite well."

"It's unusual to see you so restrained too. You rarely play the lady."

"I am almost always a lady!" she said indignantly.

"Except when you are with one of your lovers, of course."

"As I told one of them once, a real lady knows how to leave decorum at the bedroom door and do her whorish best."

"Since when do you require a bedroom?"

"It's figurative, of course. Although, I have come to be quite interested in bedrooms and beds. I particularly like beds with filmy curtains around them."

"I see."

Tara laughed.

"It's so funny to hear you say that! You never say 'I see,' especially not so seriously!"

"When in Rome…"

"Tell me about the gargoyles."

"What would you like to know about them?"

"I want to know about them as a clan, a family. How do they stand it? There only being seven of them, I mean. They must have had to make quite an adjustment to such a small group, especially a group with only one female."

"I think that the lack of females was the hardest for them to adjust to. They had just resigned themselves to the fact that their clan wouldn't be able to produce any eggs when Angela showed up. Now I think that it's even harder for them to stomach the idea of there only being one breeding female, and so only one egg a season and one hatchling at a time."

"What if there was another female? One who could breed more often maybe?"

"What are you thinking? You have that twinkle in your eyes again."

"I learned from the best, brother dear! I'm just wondering what could be done to help them. I like this clan a lot."

"Hm. Alright."

Tara laughed.

"You don't trust me!"

"Tara, I trust you. I just haven't figured out what you are thinking of doing. You rarely do anything that bothers me. Just let me know before you do it, alright?"

"Deal."

Tara left Owen to his work and wandered off to the library. She was surprised to find Angela sitting alone by the fire with a book. She walked up behind her and peered over her shoulder at the book.

"I love that book," she said quietly.

Angela smiled and turned to look at Tara.

"I'm certainly enjoying it," she said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Tara. I'm Espa."

"Oh! I should have known! What brings you to the library?"

"Nothing in particular, but since you're here, I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Alright. Come sit down."

Tara joined Angela on the sofa.

"Tell me about your clan. Do the males all vie for your attention because you are the only female?"

"Not anymore. When I first came here the trio fought for my attention all the time. After they almost got someone killed though I told them off and said something like 'the winner does not get to keep me' and stormed off. After that, they really cooled off."

"Is there any strain in the clan because of the lack of females?"

"At times, of course there is, but usually it's not really a problem. I think that it bothers the trio that there aren't enough females to go around because it means that two of them have pretty much no chance at a romantic relationship and I know that it bothers Goliath and Hudson that there won't possibly be enough eggs to continue the clan. There can only be one in each rookery generation, and that's hard for them to think about. To them it's like watching the last of a race dying out."

"What if that could change?"

"Can it?"

"Perhaps."

"How?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Alright."

Angela watched as Tara got up and wandered out of the room. At the door she stopped and turned back.

"Thanks for the talk, Angela. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome."


	4. Conversations

Elisa stared at the bloody site of the murder. It was along one of the paths in Central Park. The body was covered in a sheet, but there was still dried blood everywhere. She stood leaning on her crutches just inside of the police tape boundary. Matt was a few feet away talking with one of the uniformed officers who had been first on the scene. Elisa sighed and started looking around for anything unusual. Suddenly something on the sidewalk caught her eye.

"Matt, get over here and look at this!"

He hurried over to her side.

"Look at those marks on the sidewalk. I can't see them that well, do they look like what I think they do?"

Matt knelt down and ran his fingers over the marks.

"I'd say so. They aren't as big as most of the ones that we see, but there are right number of gashes. What would one of them be doing here?"

"I don't know, but I sure want to find out."

"Well, let's hurry up here then and go to the castle and ask them about it."

Combing the site was hard work normally, but on crutches it was nearly impossible. Elisa hated feeling useless, and with Matt having to do most of the work she was definitely feeling that way! Finally they climbed back into her car and left for the Aerie building.

A black limousine pulled up in front of the Aerie building and two people emerged from the back seat: a tall, handsome man in a perfectly pressed black suit and a curvaceous woman in a smart blue skirt suit. They walked into the building and the limo drove away. They nodded to the guard on duty and then walked into the last elevator. Once the doors to the elevator shut the man pulled the woman into his arms.

"I think that was the most wonderful few days that I have ever spent with you, my dear!"

"Oh David! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Fox."

"How do you think Alex has been?"

"I'm sure that he's fine. He's got more people who love him around all the time than the crown prince of England! I never would have thought that the gargoyles would become so attached to a human child!"

"They do adore him. But how could you not? He's the most adorable child in the world!"

Xanatos laughed.

"I bet every mother says that!"

"I know, but only I am right."

The man laughed.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened to reveal a corridor with stone walls. The couple walked out and started down the corridor. A tall blond man met them as they walked.

"Welcome home, Mr. Xanatos. Fox."

"Hello Owen. Is there anything new that we should know about?"

"We have a visitor."

"We do? Who is it? I know that Elisa is here now."

"Yes, and Goliath would like to discuss something with you about her."

"He would? I wonder what he has to say? Is he here now?"

"I believe so, sir. There was a disagreement among the younger members of the clan upon waking and he has been attempting to smooth it over."

"Tell him that he can meet with me any time that is convenient tonight."

"Very good, sir."

"Now who is our visitor, Owen?"

A thin, graceful redhead walked out of a doorway and smiled at them as they walked up to her.

"Hello," she said sweetly with a soft British accent. "You must be David and Fox Xanatos. I'm very pleased to meet you!"

"You'll have to forgive us," Fox said politely, "but who are you?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought Owen would have told you about me by now!" The woman looked playfully accusingly at Owen.

"He hasn't," David said turning to his aid. "Owen, would you like to introduce us please?"

"Of course, Mr. Xanatos. This is Tara. Tara, this is Mr. David Xanatos and his wife Fox."

"I'm pleased to meet you, again, Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos," Tara said with a laugh.

"I'm pleased to meet you too, Tara," Fox said as she shook Tara's hand.

"She didn't tell me that she was coming," Owen replied. "Otherwise I would have told you beforehand that she was going to be here."

"If it was easier to send messages to you here, I would have," Tara said in a hurt tone of voice. "I thought that you would have been pleased, Owen. We haven't seen each other in such a long time!"

"It's perfectly alright, my dear," David said. "We are pleased to have you."

"Thank you."

Owen's phone rang. He took it out of his breast pocket and answered it.

"Hello? Yes, thank you."

Owen returned the phone to his pocket.

"Detectives Maza and Bluestone will be up shortly."

"Thank you, Owen."

"I'm going to see Alex, David," Fox said to her husband.

"May I join you, Mrs. Xanatos?" Tara asked.

"Of course. And please, call me Fox."

"Very well, Fox."

"How do you know Tara, Owen?" Xanatos asked when the two women were out of hearing range. "I've never heard you mention any friends I didn't know before."

"She is my sister, sir," Owen informed him with a half smile.

"You never told me that you had a sister, Owen," Xanatos said in surprise.

"I'm sorry, sir. I never imagined that she might show up here."

"It's perfectly alright. You are entitled to your own life. I'm interested if you want to tell me about your sister, though."

"I'll tell you about her later. When I can turn into Puck."

"Very well, Owen."

They walked back to the elevators. The doors opened and Elisa and Matt stepped out.

"Hello," Xanatos said to the two detectives.

"Hello," Elisa said politely. "Welcome home. I'm sorry, but we need to talk to the gargoyles right away. Do you know where they are?"

"I believe that Goliath is with Angela in the library," Owen said helpfully, "and Hudson, Brooklyn, and Bronx are in the television room. I'm not sure where the others are."

"Thanks, Owen," Matt said politely. He and Elisa took off for the library. They found Goliath sitting with Angela talking quietly. He stopped talking when they walked in the doorway.

"Elisa, Matt, what's wrong?" Goliath asked as he stood up.

"Goliath, we just came from the site of a murder," Elisa said seriously. "There were three gouges in the sidewalk next to the body that looked like they were made by a gargoyle's talons. They were smaller than yours though, closer to Lexington or Angela's size. Any ideas?"

"I don't think that either of them have left the castle tonight. Angela has been here and Lex has been on his computer or with Alex the whole time. You know that the fight kept them here at dusk."

Elisa thought for a moment.

"Then I don't know what to think of those marks."

"Could it have been Demona?" Matt asked.

"Why would Demona have been there though? She doesn't like humans but she obviously couldn't have raped that woman."

"I know, but she's the only other gargoyle in Manhattan with talons small enough to make those marks."

"I'm sorry Elisa," Goliath said. "I don't know what happened. Would you like me to go take a look at it?"

"No, that's alright. Matt, we should get back to the station. Goodbye, Goliath!"

Goliath wrapped Elisa up in a warm hug before she and Matt left again.

Fox lifted Alex up into her arms and he snuggled against her.

"Hello, sweetheart!" Fox cooed.

"He looks happy to have his mother back," Tara said wistfully.

"And I'm happy to have him back. I miss him when I'm away."

"Mommy!" Alex cooed happily up at his mother as he hugged her around the neck.

"Do you have any children, Tara?"

"No, I don't have any children. I've been thinking about it lately though."

"Are you married?"

"No, but that's not necessary. And it's easy to fix, regardless."

"Are you that desired that you're so sure of yourself?"

Tara laughed.

"Ask Owen about that!"

"How do you know Owen anyway?"

"I forgot that he hadn't told you. I'll have to speak to him about that. He's my brother."

Fox stared at Tara in surprise.

"Your brother? How can that be?"

"Same parents."

"Um... I see."

Tara laughed.

"You are the queen's daughter, aren't you? What was her name then? Anastasia?"

"Y-Yes, that's right. How did you know that?"

Tara shrugged.

"Simple. She told me. And my brother talked about you."

"Owen never mentioned a sister."

"That's what I keep hearing. I'm going to have to speak to him about that!"

Fox laughed.

"Owen pretty much keeps to himself, particularly since he lost most of his powers."

Tara's eyes narrowed.

"Then perhaps someone should do something about that."

Fox raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Goliath was looking out over the skyline of Manhattan and considering going out when a small hand touched his arm gently. He looked down and found Tara looking up at him curiously.

"Are you busy, Goliath?" she asked sweetly.

"No, of course not," he replied. "How may I help you?"

"Can we talk a bit?"

"Certainly."

"Are we likely to be disturbed here?"

"We should be left alone for the time being."

"Good. I've had interesting conversations with Angela, Elisa and Owen about your clan. The thing that I kept noticing was the concern about your clan's lack of breeding females. Am I mistaken?"

"No, that is a concern. I'm not sure it is a problem with a solution, however."

"What if it does have a solution?"

"I'm open to all suggestions."

"I wanted to discuss this with you before I brought it up to anyone else, as you are the leader of your clan. I have not mentioned this to anyone else, and if you wish it, I will never mention it again."

"I understand."


	5. Twins Together

Tara looked around Owen's office. It was spartan and as modern as can be. Not a single object was out of place, not even a stray pen lay on the desk, and there were no personal items anywhere. She absently ran her finger over the top of one of the wall-mounted monitors and pulled it up to look at the absolute lack of dust she had picked up. She shook her head and laughed.

"I keep telling him that he needs some pictures in here or something to relieve the austerity," came a voice from the doorway behind her, "but so far he hasn't listened. Perhaps you would have more luck."

Tara turned to find David Xanatos, the human Owen worked for, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He was clearly studying her curiously, so she returned the favor, tilting her head attractively and smiling as she did so.

"And what brings you up here, Mr. Xanatos?" she asked after a moment.

He smiled and pushed off the doorframe. "I came to find Owen, but clearly he isn't here at the moment. I must say, I'm not disappointed in the company I did find."

"Good!" Tara smiled pleasantly. "I wouldn't wish to disappoint."

"Owen has been somewhat secretive about you and your relationship to him and generally I try to give him his privacy, but I must admit a certain amount of curiosity about you. He never mentioned any family before."

"Yes," Tara acknowledged with a frown, "I've been meaning to take that up with him ever since I arrived . . ."

"So, what hasn't he told us that he should have, then?"

"Well, clearly he should have mentioned that I exist to his best friends. I mean, wouldn't you tell your best friends that you had a sister? If you had one, of course. I would. And not just any sister. A twin sister who has gotten you out of more trouble than most people could imagine in ten lifetimes! Even ten lifetimes of childhood! A twin sister who can almost share your thoughts and who is always there for you, just as a sister should be. I have travelled all over this world and the next with him, chased him across the heavens, put up with his many affairs and consoled him and celebrated with him when they all fell apart. In return, he has dried my tears after my lovers abandoned me and listened to my laughter when I abandoned them. I conspired with him countless times and conspired against him almost as often. When no one else is there, we are there for one another. And yet he doesn't mention me to his best friends - as if I don't matter!"

As she had spoken this speech, Tara's persona blended away and left Espa behind. Xanatos had straightened up and stared at her, intrigued by her tirade.

"Best friends?"

"That was what you got from that?" Espa said in frustration. "Perhaps I see why he never mentioned me now."

And Espa whirled past Xanatos, sailing out of the room and down the corridor in a whirl of white tresses and red skirt, leaving him watching her, half baffled and half bemused.

Working on her plans for an hour or so after her encounter with Mr. Xanatos had calmed Espa down a bit. She had resumed her Tara form and was feeling accomplished. The groundwork had been laid and she was ready to move to the next phase of the project. Sadly, the brightening dawn light outside her window told her that she would have to wait. She decided to reward herself by going to look for her brother in the meantime.

She let her eyes go vacant for a moment as she felt out with her mind. Ah. He was in his office now. Good. Tara stood up and strode off purposefully.

Owen looked up from the dual monitors on his desk as she walked into the room.

"Hello, Tara," he said, tapping some keys on his keyboard and leaning back slightly in his chair as the screens went dark. Tara made her way around his desk and hopped up to sit on the edge of it, facing him. Owen frowned.

"Hello, Owen. I've now met several of your friends and it seems that I was a complete surprise to each and every one of them. Why, brother dear, is that?"

Owen sighed and ran his good hand through his hair, rumpling it. The effect was actually quite fetching, if out of character for the usually perfectly pressed gentleman.

"I wasn't keeping you a secret for any nefarious purpose," he began, "I simply haven't told any of them much about myself. Here I am Owen and, for all intents and purposes, Owen has no family."

"Well, perhaps he needs some. From what I can see, Owen needs many things. Family may be only the beginning. Besides, Owen is Puck and Puck has family whether he likes it or not."

Her words were biting and Owen looked away, chastised.

"Puck would not wish his family away," he replied, "but you were so angry with me when we last parted that it seemed unlikely that you would show up, so it made more sense to create Owen without a sister, or at least never to mention having one. Besides, when I created Owen, I did not expect to be him for so long. I am pleased that I was wrong about that, but perhaps there are some parts of him that I should have revised when he became a more long-term mantle."

"I was angry, but that didn't make me not your sister. Boys come and go, brothers do not. And since I'm going to be around (on and off anyway) for a little while, perhaps Owen does need a sister now."

"You're staying for a while?" Owen asked in surprise.

"I wasn't initially planning on it, but now I have a new project here. Besides, I don't have anywhere else I need to be and I find that your family here is extremely interesting, to say the least."

"Project?" Owen raised an eyebrow. Tara smiled at him mischievously.

"Yes, a project. I've already begun work on it and you haven't even noticed! You're losing your touch, brother." She laughed at the irritated look on his face.

"Just don't cause too much trouble."

"I never cause too much trouble. There's no such thing." Owen looked skeptical at this, but she saw a look in his eyes that only she would recognize, a look that said that he agreed with her.

"Now," she went on, "while this has been fun, I really need to speak to Puck."

Tara swept off the desk and spun around, returning to her own form. When she came back to face Owen's chair, her long white hair sweeping around in the wake of her spin, she found Puck sitting cross-legged on the back of it.

"Much better," Espa said with a satisfied grin. "I've missed you, you know."

Puck laughed and grinned at his sister.

"I've missed you too. I always have the most fun when you're around!" His face turned suddenly serious, an odd look for him. "But I'd rather not have this particular situation turned upside down. I have to stay here and I'd rather not make Owen's life more complicated because of Puck."

"You wouldn't want to be bored, though, would you?"

"Trust me, I'm never bored here!"

"No, I wouldn't imagine that you are! Well, you'll be happy to know that I have no intention of causing trouble, although I can not promise not to make your life more complicated."

Puck frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And why is that, sister dear?"

"Well, some of it isn't entirely my fault, so don't look at me that way! While I did want to come and see you anyway, I was actually sent to you for a purpose that is not my own."

"And what might that be?"

Espa held her hand out before her, palm upward and a small light appeared in the center of it. The light grew brighter and brighter and then finally winked out. Where the light had been was a gold ring etched with graceful runic symbols. Puck's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Titania sent me," Espa explained. "She has become concerned for her daughter and grandson. There is some threat in the human world that she has become aware of. She says this threat will be far more dangerous than any of you realize now. She wants to protect her family without breaking her agreement with Oberon to stay with him on Avalon for a time. She sent me to convey her wishes to you."

"And what are the queen's wishes? The last time that I saw her, she and Oberon stripped me of my powers except as they are necessary to tutor or protect Alexander. They barred me from ever returning home again. I have to say, that doesn't exactly make me want to do much for them."

"That was Oberon, as you know very well."

"Does it matter who it was? The effect is the same."

"Of course it does! You know the devil's in the details. Titania has sent me to you with a message and a gift. All you have to do in return is include Fox in your little tutoring sessions, or provide her with some of her own."

"And what if she doesn't want any magic lessons?"

"Then you have to keep her safe when whatever this danger is shows up. Her and Alexander. If anything happens to either of them, then the queen will rescind her gift."

"What exactly is this gift?"

"Your power back. And the banishment removed. You can come home whenever you want to after the threat has passed."

Puck's eyes widened and for a moment he was silent. Then he let out a whoop of joy, did a backflip in the air and swung Espa around in a giant hug. She laughed to see him so happy.

"That's the brother I missed!"

"Now what's with the ring? I've never seen that ring off of the queen's finger!"

"Ah, that's what she sent for you to give to her daughter. To help her tap into her magic and to give her some protection of her own. I suspect she also intended to give you something to use to help bring up the topic with her daughter. Titania seemed to think that if Fox knew that this request was more than just you wanting to teach her then she may be more receptive to it."

"What charms are on it exactly? Have you figured it out?"

"Not entirely. There's a powerful shield spell and a power boosting charm, but there's something else that I haven't been able to pin down. I was hoping you would help with that. Together we should be able to figure it out. I hate to give it up without knowing."

"Ooh, I love a challenge!"

The twins shared matching smiles and the glint of excitement and mischief in Puck's eyes as he reached for the ring was perfectly mirrored in the eyes of his sister.


End file.
